The Burghers of Calais

When I went to the National Museum of Western Art in Tokyo a couple years ago, I found there are Auguste Rodin's sculpture replicas in the forecourt. I had totally forgotten about it, but when I passed through Victoria Tower Gardens in London, I realised that there is his sculpture "Burghers of Calais". Actually, there are some "The Burghers of Calais" in the world, and it's one of them.

The story of "The Burghers of Calais" goes that "England's Edward III, after a victory in the Battle of Crecy, laid siege to Calais, while Philip VI of France ordered the city to hold out at all costs. Philip failed to lift the siege, and starvation eventually forced the city to parley for surrender. Edward offered to spare the people of the city if any six of its top leaders would surrender themselves to him, presumably to be executed. Edward demanded that they walk out almost naked, wearing nooses around their necks, and carrying the keys to the city and castle. One of the wealthiest of the town leaders, Eustache de Saint Pierre, volunteered first, and five other burghers soon followed suit, stripping down to their breeches. Saint Pierre led this envoy of emaciated volunteers to the city gates. It was this moment, and this poignant mix of defeat, heroic self-sacrifice, and willingness to face imminent death that Rodin captured in his sculpture, scaled somewhat larger than life. In history, though the burghers expected to be executed, their lives were spared by the intervention of England's Queen, Philippa of Hainault, who persuaded her husband to exercise mercy by claiming that their deaths would be a bad omen for her unborn child." (Source; Wikipedia)

Another photo was so dark, so from backside...

It's been a while since I saw the River Thames.

The Houses of Parliament & Big Ben with the statue of Oliver Cromwell.